On This Super Bowl Sunday: Nothing Is More Super than Star Wars

I haven't seen a single Bud Light ad, but I've already decided that my favorite commercial during Sunday's game will be this one from VW.

Why? Because it's about Star Wars, the power of imagination, and the fun of being a parent.

The commercial shows a little boy dressed up as Darth Vader trying to use the dark side of the force. Parents who've watched their children recreate the powers of a super hero (or super villain) know they're witnessing a magical phase which passes too quickly.

Photo credit: Geoff Nelson

Geoff's Son Jack

A friend of mine saw the VW commercial on YouTube and laughed that his son, Jack, has the same costume and does the same thing.

In fact, he sent me this photo "recreating" their favorite scene in the ad.

But the ad is also funny because I USED TO BE THAT KID. Just a little older. "Star Wars"(now called "A New Hope"—whatever) hit theaters when I was in high school. I was so taken by the film that I went to see it six times that summer. Darth Vader elevated evil to a whole new level.

More than thirty years later, Star Wars and Vader continue to enthrall. The folks at Lucasfilm keep coming up with new toys and we keep buying them. (Star Wars bobble heads? How did I not know about this!!)

Finally, I don't know if this commercial makes me want to buy a VW because it has a cool remote ignition system, but it does make me laugh. There are few things in life bigger than the Super Bowl, but Star Wars may be one of them. I think it's safe to imagine that the marketing brain behind the ad has an old light saber tucked away in a closet which his 7-year-old recently discovered.

Update: Geoff Nelson, a freelance cameraman in Seattle who took the still above of his son, Jack, has created a full-fledged homage to the VW ad...but with a Honda. Well done!